Oman has stepped up efforts to combat software piracy. In a new series of raids conducted recently, three companies from the services, industrial and trading sectors were apprehended and more than 150 PCs were found to be loaded with unlicensed copies of Microsoft products, Symantec Norton Anti Virus and Autodesk Autocad 14. This is the first time such a large number of computers with illegal software were found in the Sultanate.

“An achievement at this level of coordination and professionalism must be highly praised,” said Jawad Al-Redha, regional director, Business Software Alliance. “These raids came as the result of thorough investigations and prompt action.”

Copyright implementation has been high on the Omani government’s agenda in the past year, where the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture has conducted one of the most active campaigns in the region to fight illegal software.

“These three companies now have to live with the consequences of their careless attitude towards copyrights, from the plunge in employee morale, to legal costs and hassle, in addition to the harm done to their reputation in the market. We hope that this serves as an example to other companies. Using unlicensed software is against the law as software is a productivity tool. It is a major asset for any company, and it is, therefore, important that a company purchase it in the same manner as it purchases its other assets.” added Al Redha.